Palm Springs murder suspect pleads not guilty

A 75-year-old man accused of killing a Palm Springs senior citizen in her home, where he was a houseguest, pleaded not guilty today to a murder charge.

Stephen McKernan was arrested on April 22, about two hours after police sent a residence in the 300 block of Pico Road on a medical aid call found Claire Carsman dead. Police said the 74-year-old victim’s body bore signs of “significant trauma,” but did not disclose the cause of her death.

“The preliminary investigation revealed McKernan had known the victim and her husband for several years,” according to a police statement that did not indicate if the woman’s spouse was home at the time of his wife’s killing.

McKernan was originally scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, but was not medically cleared to be brought to court until this morning.

He’s being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta in lieu of $1 million bail.